Julia Beecher (1826-1905), was a family friend of the
Langdons and Olivia's Sunday school teacher. She was "a renowned
beauty and amateur sculpturer" who "bobbed her waist length hair and
took to wearing men's congress boots (heavy working
boots)"(Trombley 132). "Determined to remain her own person
despite any outside pressure to conform, Julia also decided that she
would dress in terms of comfort, not fashion, and thus happily
proceeded to free herself from the confines of the corset"(Trombley
133). Observing Julia's courage to be unconventional by Victorian
standards and a committed feminist obviously inspired Olivia in
numerous ways.